Believing...

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Lockdown
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Aug 05, 2021 4:21 am

tbunao wrote:This is why I listen to journey before hunts


:lol: :lol:

Err... wait. What does a wheel in the sky have to do with confidence?


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Re: Believing...

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 4:37 am

Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Aug 05, 2021 5:01 am

DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.

Totally agree. I killed my top three biggest bucks after making a mid-hunt adjustment. On the other hand I burned myself with this as well. Just last year I adjusted myself out of shot range three times and two of them would have been my largest buck. In hindsight I still think I did the right thing based on earlier movement but that still doesn’t make it sting any less. My gut was right just off a few hours.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 5:13 am

seazofcheeze wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:
Trout wrote:I also agree. I think we all still have primal instincts buried deep in our brains and when we are not confident in a spot, its because that instinct is saying this ain't the right spot. That doesn't mean the instinct is always right but learning from that bad spot choice can develop the instinct to be better.

I love that feeling of thinking you are in the right spot when I listen to my instincts. Makes hunting a lot more fun and enjoyable cause you feel like its going to happen any second instead of hoping its going to happen eventually.

I’ve gotten burned a couple times by letting overthinking overpower that gut instinct. I’m going to listen to that instinct a whole lot more this season.


In my opinion "gut instinct" is simply the subconscious mind expressing accumulated past experiences. If a spot (or type of spot) didn't work out in the past several times, then gut instinct tells us "this is not the right spot" even though we may not recall exactly why and vice versa if a spot has worked out in the past then gut instinct tells us this spot seems right when we recognize some similarities to spots that have produced in the past.

With that said, confidence to me is a "chicken or the egg" type of question. Too much confidence early on can have a guy sitting a whole lot of spots that he believes in, but for the wrong reasons, or interpreting sign in a way that is incorrect. Not enough confidence after a fair amount of learning can have a guy second guessing himself and not sitting spots he should be, or throwing in the the towel too early. Unfortunately, I think real confidence can only be earned by paying dues in time and experience. The more time and experience, the more confidence.


I used my gut instinct before.
Turned out to be gas.

Probably did make bucks in the area drop dead :lol:

Just kidding having fun nothing like letting a loud one rip on a cold silent morning. Like a megaphone through the woods.

If were going to start playing songs before a hunt a cold foggy morning in swamp. Play smoke on the water by deep purple. .
Never give up Freedom for imagined safety.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby SILhunter » Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:18 am

I'm sure I heard it here on a different thread, If you think you can or think you can't your right.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby tbunao » Thu Aug 05, 2021 1:37 pm

:lol:


Lockdown wrote:
tbunao wrote:This is why I listen to journey before hunts


:lol: :lol:

Err... wait. What does a wheel in the sky have to do with confidence?
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby tgreeno » Thu Aug 05, 2021 2:21 pm

I always start my season feeling very confident. But typically loose most of it by the end of the season. I haven't had much success in killing a good buck in a while. So believing can be a big ask. Success definitely does help you believe the kills will come your way.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Aug 05, 2021 3:27 pm

Dewey wrote:
DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.

Totally agree. I killed my top three biggest bucks after making a mid-hunt adjustment. On the other hand I burned myself with this as well. Just last year I adjusted myself out of shot range three times and two of them would have been my largest buck. In hindsight I still think I did the right thing based on earlier movement but that still doesn’t make it sting any less. My gut was right just off a few hours.


At work earlier I was thinking along these lines. Although it wasn’t a big buck, years ago I busted a move just before sundown. I was hunting a great spot with a sub par wind. I was giving up (winding) a trail that my scent stream would normally miss. It was late in the year so I decided to roll the dice.

With an hour of daylight left a pheasant hunter on the neighboring property tromped everything on his side of the fence 75 yards away. I was basically left with one viable trail. I was disgusted. Enough so that I packed up and raced to a different preset 500 yards away. I figured I’d have 40 minutes of light once I got set up.

Sure enough a basket 8 came right in 10 minutes after I got situated and I ten ringed him at 17 yards. I remember my dad saying “most people would have stayed and hoped for the best.” But my gut was screaming at me to go make something happen.

So when it comes to gut instinct, I almost always listen. That said, I know I’m not always right. And part of what leads to confidence is being ok with making the wrong decision sometimes. I’m sure I’ve scouted along, debated on setting up, and walked past a bedded shooter buck. Statistically it has to happen.

My thoughts are I’m far better off searching for that smoking gun vs settling for the “I guess this will do” type sign.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby tim » Thu Aug 05, 2021 6:13 pm

I believe!
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:49 pm

Lockdown wrote:
Dewey wrote:
DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.

Totally agree. I killed my top three biggest bucks after making a mid-hunt adjustment. On the other hand I burned myself with this as well. Just last year I adjusted myself out of shot range three times and two of them would have been my largest buck. In hindsight I still think I did the right thing based on earlier movement but that still doesn’t make it sting any less. My gut was right just off a few hours.


At work earlier I was thinking along these lines. Although it wasn’t a big buck, years ago I busted a move just before sundown. I was hunting a great spot with a sub par wind. I was giving up (winding) a trail that my scent stream would normally miss. It was late in the year so I decided to roll the dice.

With an hour of daylight left a pheasant hunter on the neighboring property tromped everything on his side of the fence 75 yards away. I was basically left with one viable trail. I was disgusted. Enough so that I packed up and raced to a different preset 500 yards away. I figured I’d have 40 minutes of light once I got set up.

Sure enough a basket 8 came right in 10 minutes after I got situated and I ten ringed him at 17 yards. I remember my dad saying “most people would have stayed and hoped for the best.” But my gut was screaming at me to go make something happen.

So when it comes to gut instinct, I almost always listen. That said, I know I’m not always right. And part of what leads to confidence is being ok with making the wrong decision sometimes. I’m sure I’ve scouted along, debated on setting up, and walked past a bedded shooter buck. Statistically it has to happen.

My thoughts are I’m far better off searching for that smoking gun vs settling for the “I guess this will do” type sign.


Yep I've seen it work both ways. The key here is experience. A gut feeling based off some previous knowledge or experience IMO is far firmer ground to stand on. We just need to ensure we are moving, or making a "play" for a good reason and not the "grass is greener over yonder" thinking that can set in when we get frustrated.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Evanszach7 » Fri Aug 06, 2021 3:23 am

I quit Facebook a year or so ago and it really helped keep my confidence up. Hard to not second guess yourself when you're seeing success all day every day across the country.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Brian1986 » Mon Aug 09, 2021 10:02 am

Lockdown wrote:
Dewey wrote:
DaveT1963 wrote:Also keep in mind doubt in our mind can play tricks on us......I do understand moving if you don't have confidence in the spot, but I can also recount many times that I started to second-guess a spot only to have moved and busted a buck in the process or staying put and being rewarded. Sometimes we have to trust the data we have gathered over the temporary circumstances we might or might not be seeing. I would speculate that many a good hunt has been ruined by second guessing ourselves. I suppose somewhere in the middle there's a balance, but like I and several others have mentioned, time and experience is often the key component in not only our confidence level in a spot that is showing hot sign, but also in staying put in a spot that we know based on past experience or knowledge is about to become hot.

Totally agree. I killed my top three biggest bucks after making a mid-hunt adjustment. On the other hand I burned myself with this as well. Just last year I adjusted myself out of shot range three times and two of them would have been my largest buck. In hindsight I still think I did the right thing based on earlier movement but that still doesn’t make it sting any less. My gut was right just off a few hours.


At work earlier I was thinking along these lines. Although it wasn’t a big buck, years ago I busted a move just before sundown. I was hunting a great spot with a sub par wind. I was giving up (winding) a trail that my scent stream would normally miss. It was late in the year so I decided to roll the dice.

With an hour of daylight left a pheasant hunter on the neighboring property tromped everything on his side of the fence 75 yards away. I was basically left with one viable trail. I was disgusted. Enough so that I packed up and raced to a different preset 500 yards away. I figured I’d have 40 minutes of light once I got set up.

Sure enough a basket 8 came right in 10 minutes after I got situated and I ten ringed him at 17 yards. I remember my dad saying “most people would have stayed and hoped for the best.” But my gut was screaming at me to go make something happen.

So when it comes to gut instinct, I almost always listen. That said, I know I’m not always right. And part of what leads to confidence is being ok with making the wrong decision sometimes. I’m sure I’ve scouted along, debated on setting up, and walked past a bedded shooter buck. Statistically it has to happen.

My thoughts are I’m far better off searching for that smoking gun vs settling for the “I guess this will do” type sign.


I am completely agreeing with what you guys are saying. I think true confidence is built through preparation & experiences. I think belief is putting full trust into the things that make you confident. When you have full belief in your setup you are going to hunt at your best level of effort. It doesn't mean you are always going to be right. I've found in the past if your gut instinct is saying your setup is off, it's harder to hunt your setup with your best level of effort- especially if the adjustment that my gut instinct is telling me I should go to is within eye sight. It's like 45% of my attention is on where I am hunting and the other 55% is paying attention to the other spot. It's almost like I want to see a buck show up at the other spot if just to say hey knucklehead you knew you should have been in that other spot! So either immediately commit and make the adjustment to your setup or put the adjustment out of your mind and fully commit to your original setup. When I am conflicted and not 100% committed to my setup it usually bites me in the backside. One hunt in particular immediately comes to mind- I was home from college for the opening day of gun season (Ohio public hill country) and hunting with my parents. My mom was out scouting earlier in November and had bumped the biggest buck she had ever seen out of its bed. It was on a point where a 5yr old clear cut converged with newly planted pine trees in waist high grass looking down at an open hardwood flat about 75 yards wide with ravines to both sides. They showed me on the map where it was, I had never been there, and gave me general directions on how to get there. So I hiked out to what I thought must be the spot in the dark, spotted a couple fresh rubs in my flashlight, and decided I would setup on that edge where the open hardwoods merged with the pines and clear cut. As it became light enough to see I spotted a fresh scrape about 50 yards from where I was setup on the ground. 15minutes after that a doe worked up the hill from the ravine to the right. The thermals were going her way and she busted me at 40yds, blowing several times as she ran away. My confidence in the spot was shaken. I kept staring at that scrape and wondering what the view would be like down into the ravine to the left. Probably an hour had gone by since the doe busted me with no action. So I got up and decided to move. I had only moved maybe 40yards out into the open towards the scrape when i hear deer crashing through the leaves from the ravine on the left. I thought dang it I busted deer and they're running away. NOPE. 2 does came running up the hill being dogged by one of the top 10 biggest bucks I had ever seen and a young buck (it was a different buck than the one mom saw earlier btw). Totally caught me with my pants down. I froze. The young buck was on me right away but the big buck had one thing on his mind and was oblivious to my presence. The does and big buck were zigging and zagging at a trot not 10 yards from where I was setup 2 minutes ago. I was shaking so bad I could hardly put the sights on the bucks body and went on to rush the shot with my muzzleloader shooting straight over his back at no more than 40yds. Clean miss! He ran off into the clear cut. If I had stayed put it was a broadside chip shot. OR if I had relocated immediately to be able to see down into the ravine I would've likely also had a good shot. Instead I got caught in non-committed no mans land and have a humbling story to show for it! Even though I was disappointed in the outcome, I had a blast that day.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Hookslinger » Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:30 am

This is probably one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for hunters like me that have been hunting a number of years and just aren't accustomed to seeing mature bucks, let alone getting opportunities at them. Couple that with living in a high pressure state where big bucks are fewer and farther between, and it can start to feel almost impossible to get one, like its never going to happen. That's where I had been for years. However, once I realized it was my tactics and stagnant hunting style that was holding me back, and I could change that, my confidence started to grow. Even though I havent killed what I would consider a truly mature buck yet, now I have a different mindset and outlook. I know there are good bucks around, and even though I may not have access to the prime lands or leases, I can still put myself in the game with woodsmanship, and determination. I'm going into this season believing that I'm going to kill a nice buck, and I'll be a better hunter than I am now by the end of the season. I believe you have to flip that switch in order to really get to the next level.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby Brad » Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:07 pm

Confidence is huge for success in anything really. The question for those who don't already have that confidence is how do you get that confidence? In my opinion there are two ways you can develop the confidence needed. #1, by being successful... obviously. when what you're doing works, you will be more confident. But, more importantly, if you haven't been successful the best way to build the confidence is to know for certain that you are always doing everything you can do to improve your odds. Focus only on the process. The watching, the reading, the learning, the scouting, the asking, the practice, etc... when you know you are doing everything you can possibly do, you can feel confident that you are always getting closer to the goal. Also understand that it's not supposed to be easy, and if it was, it wouldn't be worth doing.
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Re: Believing...

Unread postby funderburk » Wed Aug 11, 2021 12:59 am

Dewey wrote:I’ve said it before if you don’t feel confident that the spot your hunting will produce a deer your looking for based on current sign it’s probably best to pack up and move. Stanley always said never waste a hunt in a garbage spot. If your not feeling it…..move. Confidence is everything. Your more focussed and tuned into things around you when you get that gut feeling that something special is about to happen. Hunt with a purpose.

I always go into a hunt with the mindset that this is the day I’m going to kill my biggest buck. When my hunt is over for the day and it doesn’t happen then tomorrow is the day. A positive attitude kills WAY more deer than a negative attitude and if you don’t kill one at least you had fun trying. I try to find joy in every single hunt no matter how bad it was. Self doubt and being hard on yourself just ruins the experience. Do your best to eliminate negative thoughts completely. Hunting’s supposed to be fun.


Great post :clap:
“I’ve always believed that the mind is the best weapon.” John Rambo


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